Climatological Report (Annual)
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
699 CXUS51 KGYX 070430 CLAGYX PWMCLAGYX 000 TTAA00 GYX 030203 CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME 1130 PM EST WED JAN 06 2021 ................................... ...THE GRAY ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2020... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1981 TO 2010 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1995 TO 2021 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE NORMAL .............................................................. TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 99 07/22/2011 LOW -15 01/15/2004 HIGHEST 92 06/20 93 -1 91 LOWEST -6 02/15 -7 1 -3 AVG. MAXIMUM 56.4 55.4 1.0 54.0 AVG. MINIMUM 39.0 37.3 1.7 37.1 MEAN 47.7 46.4 1.3 45.5 DAYS MAX >= 90 5 5.3 -0.3 3 DAYS MAX <= 32 37 50.9 -13.9 62 DAYS MIN <= 32 145 143.2 1.8 148 DAYS MIN <= 0 5 7.1 -2.1 6 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 71.90 2005 TOTALS 48.16 50.22 -2.06 50.92 DAILY AVG. 0.13 0.14 -0.01 0.14 DAYS >= .01 121 138.6 -17.6 156 DAYS >= .10 66 85.3 -19.3 92 DAYS >= .50 33 33.4 -0.4 36 DAYS >= 1.00 15 14.1 0.9 13 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 3.77 06/29 3.19 SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL 125.2 2008 TOTALS 65.9 83.8 -17.9 77.0 SINCE 7/1 18.9 21.4 -2.5 SNOWDEPTH AVG. 2 DAYS >= TRACE 57 33.7 66 DAYS >= 1.0 13 19.3 -6.3 23 GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 15 01/19 20 02/20 02/19 24 HR TOTAL 11.7 12/17 9.0 DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 6758 7191 -433 7398 SINCE 7/1 2455 2667 -212 2673 COOLING TOTAL 548 390 158 433 FREEZE DATES RECORD EARLIEST 09/29/2000 LATEST 05/11/2010 EARLIEST 10/28 LATEST 04/15 .............................................................. - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. && THE YEAR BEGAN WITH SOME MILD WEATHER AND A RELATIVELY DEEP SNOW COVER AFTER A WINTER STORM LATE IN 2019 HAD LEFT 10 INCHES ON THE GROUND TO START THE YEAR. A BIG WARM UP CAME IN MID JANUARY WHEN THE TEMPERATURE SOARED TO 60 DEGREES ON JANUARY 11. THIS ALONG WITH SOME RAINFALL CUT THE SNOW DEPTH IN HALF. JUST A FEW DAYS LATER A SERIES OF STORMS BROUGHT SEVERAL MORE INCHES OF SNOW. THE FIRST BIGGER STORM BROUGHT NEARLY 10 INCHES ON JANUARY 16 FOLLOWED BY COLD TEMPERATURES. THE COLDEST WAS ZERO DEGREES ON JANUARY 17. AFTER GRAY RECORDED SNOWFALL ON 6 OUT OF 7 DAYS THE SNOW DEPTH PEAKED AT 15 INCHES. THE MILD WEATHER RETURNED FOR THE LAST PART OF JANUARY, THOUGH. MORE THAN AN INCH OF RAIN FELL ON JANUARY 25 WITH MILD WEATHER CONTINUING INTO FEBRUARY. ANOTHER STRETCH OF WINTRY WEATHER CAME IN FEBRUARY. SNOW WAS OBSERVED ON 6 OUT OF 8 DAYS FROM FEBRUARY 6 THROUGH 13 ALONG WITH A FEW ROUNDS OF BRIEFLY COLDER WEATHER. THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE WAS ON FEBRUARY 15 WHEN IT DROPPED TO 6 BELOW ZERO. THE COLD NEVER LASTED VERY LONG, THOUGH, AS MILD CONDITIONS QUICKLY RETURNED. BY THE END OF FEBRUARY ANOTHER WARM SYSTEM BROUGHT MORE THAN 1.5 INCHES OF RAIN ON FEBRUARY 27. EVEN WARMER WEATHER WAS OBSERVED IN THE COMING WEEKS WITH THE TEMPERATURE PEAKING AT 66 DEGREES ON MARCH 9. THIS ALONG WITH SOME RAINFALL WASHED THE LAST OF THE WINTER SNOW DEPTH AWAY BY THE MORNING OF MARCH 21. THE WEATHER TURNED CHILLY AGAIN IN LATE MARCH ALONG WITH A FEW MORE ROUNDS OF SNOW. THE HEAVIEST WAS ON MARCH 23 AND 24 WHEN MORE THAN 7 INCHES FELL. THE MILD LATE MARCH TEMPERATURES ENSURED THAT THIS SNOW DIDN`T STAY ON THE GROUND VERY LONG. MORE FREQUENT STORMY WEATHER WAS OBSERVED IN THE FIRST PART OF SPRING. A NEW STORM SYSTEM WOULD BRING RAIN OR WINTRY WEATHER JUST ABOUT EVERY WEEK. NEARLY 2 INCHES OF RAIN FELL ON APRIL 2 AND 3. A WEEK LATER ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT STORM BROUGHT RAIN CHANGING TO A HEAVY WET SNOW ON APRIL 9. ALTHOUGH ONLY ACCUMULATING TO 6 INCHES, THIS VERY STICKY SNOW BROUGHT DOWN TREES AND POWER LINES. A FEW DAYS LATER ANOTHER STORM DROPPED MORE THAN AN INCH OF RAIN ON APRIL 13. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE A FEW MILD DAYS, MOST DAYS WERE COOL WITH SHOWERS AND EVEN SOME SNOWFLAKES CONTINUING LATE INTO THE SPRING. IN FACT, ON MAY 9 RAIN CHANGED TO SNOW WITH MORE THAN AN INCH MEASURED. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME MEASURABLE SNOW HAS BEEN OBSERVED IN MAY DURING THE SHORT 25-YEAR HISTORY OF OBSERVATIONS AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN GRAY. SUDDENLY IN MID MAY THE FREQUENT STORMY WEATHER ENDED AND THE PRECIPITATION SHUT OFF. THE PERSISTENT TROUGH WHICH BROUGHT THE COOL AND STORMY WEATHER SHIFTED TO THE EAST. INSTEAD, FREQUENT COOL, DRY AIR MASSES SPILLED DOWN OUT OF CANADA JUST AS SPRING GREEN UP BEGAN. THE LAST SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL WAS ON MAY 15 WHEN HALF AN INCH WAS MEASURED. BARELY ANY RAIN FELL AGAIN FOR MORE THAN A MONTH CAUSING THE RAPID ONSET OF DROUGHT CONDITIONS IN THE AREA. TEMPERATURES DURING THIS PERIOD WERE FREQUENTLY WARM DURING THE DAY AND COOL AT NIGHT DUE TO THE DRY AIR MASSES WHICH DOMINATED THE PERIOD. WHILE THERE WERE A FEW HOT DAYS IN LATE MAY, THE TEMPERATURE FELL ALL THE WAY TO 37 DEGREES ON JUNE 1. THE FIRST CONSISTENTLY HOT STRETCH OF WEATHER CAME IN MID JUNE WHEN THE TEMPERATURE WARMED TO NEAR 90 DEGREES FROM JUNE 18 THROUGH 20. THE WARMEST WAS 92 ON JUNE 20. AS THE TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY BEGAN TO CLIMB TOWARD THE END OF JUNE, FINALLY SOME DROUGHT RELIEF ARRIVED. FROM JUNE 28 THROUGH 30 NEARLY 5 INCHES OF RAIN FELL AS A SLOW MOVING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM BROUGHT FREQUENT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. UNTIL THESE DROUGHT RELIEVING RAINS, GRAY WAS ENDURING ITS DRIEST PERIOD ON RECORD FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. SUCH CONSISTENTLY DRY WEATHER WAS UNPRECEDENTED FOR THE SPRING WHICH IS TYPICALLY THE RAINIEST TIME OF YEAR. THE TABLE BELOW LISTS THE LEAST PRECIPITATION OBSERVED DURING THIS STRETCH OF TIME. LEAST PRECIPITATION MAY 16 THROUGH JUN 27 (SINCE 1996)... RANK PRECIP YEAR 1 0.51 2020 <=== 2 2.48 2018 3 2.62 1999 4 2.78 1997 5 2.83 2016 ALTHOUGH THE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ENDED, MORE FREQUENT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN JULY KEPT THE DROUGHT FROM WORSENING, AT LEAST FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH. LATER IN JULY THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY BECAME MORE COMMON. WHILE THERE WERE NO EXTREMELY HOT PERIODS, THE HUMID WEATHER OFTEN LED TO WARM NIGHTS AS WELL. THE HOTTEST TEMPERATURE WAS 91 DEGREES ON JULY 19 AND 20. THE SUMMER HEAT AND HUMIDITY CONTINUED INTO AUGUST. ONE EXCEPTION WAS ON AUGUST 4 WHEN TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS MOVED OVER THE REGION. LESS THAN HALF AN INCH OF RAIN WAS OBSERVED AS THIS MOVED THROUGH, BUT IT WAS ACCOMPANIED BY SOME STRONGER WIND GUSTS. IT WASN`T UNTIL A COLD FRONT ON AUGUST 15 THAT THE SUMMER HEAT FINALLY ENDED. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE A FEW MORE HOT DAYS IN LATE SUMMER AND EARLY FALL, THE PERSISTENT SUMMER HEAT WAS OVER. ALMOST AN INCH OF RAIN FELL ON AUGUST 29, BUT THIS WOULD BE THE LAST SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL FOR A WHILE AS DROUGHT CONDITIONS RETURNED FOR SEPTEMBER. A SERIES OF COLD FRONTS BROUGHT DRY, CONTINENTAL AIR MASSES INTO THE REGION. THIS OFTEN BROUGHT WARM DAYS AND OCCASIONALLY COOL NIGHTS. THE COOLEST WAS IN MID SEPTEMBER WHEN THE TEMPERATURE DROPPED INTO THE 30S FOR 4 STRAIGHT NIGHTS. FINALLY, AFTER MORE THAN 4 WEEKS OF DRY WEATHER A STORM SYSTEM BROUGHT NEARLY AN INCH OF RAIN ON SEPTEMBER 30. THIS BEGAN A SHIFT IN THE WEATHER PATTERN WITH MORE FREQUENT STORMINESS RETURNING. FREQUENT FRONTAL SYSTEMS BROUGHT A TOPSY TURVY TEMPERATURE PATTERN WITH OCCASIONAL WARMTH REPLACED BY COLD. THE NEXT SIGNIFICANT STORM BROUGHT NEARLY 2 INCHES OF RAIN ON OCTOBER 13. JUST A FEW DAYS LATER ANOTHER STORM BROUGHT NEARLY 2 MORE INCHES OF RAIN ON OCTOBER 16 AND 17. MORE CONSISTENT COLD WEATHER AT THE END OF THE MONTH BROUGHT THE FIRST SNOWFLAKES JUST BEFORE HALLOWEEN. WHILE THE COOL WEATHER PERSISTED INTO NOVEMBER, A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BROUGHT ONE OF THE MOST INTENSE AND LONG LASTING LATE SEASON WARM SPELLS ON RECORD. BEGINNING ON NOVEMBER 5, THE TEMPERATURE TOPPED 60 DEGREES FOR 8 STRAIGHT DAYS INCLUDING A FEW DAYS IN THE 70S. THE WARMEST WAS 75 DEGREES ON NOVEMBER 10. A COLD FRONT ON NOVEMBER 12 BROUGHT THIS UNUSUAL LATE SEASON WARMTH TO AN END WITH COLD WEATHER RETURNING. BY NOVEMBER 18 THE TEMPERATURE DIDN`T EVEN REACH THE FREEZING MARK ALL DAY. THE MORE FREQUENT STORMY WEATHER RETURNED IN MID NOVEMBER. THE FIRST BIGGER RAINFALL WAS ON NOVEMBER 23 WHEN MORE THAN 2 INCHES WAS MEASURED. ANOTHER STORM DROPPED MORE THAN 3 INCHES ON NOVEMBER 30 INTO DECEMBER 1. THEN ON DECEMBER 5 RAIN CHANGED TO A HEAVY WET SNOWFALL WITH THE STICKY NATURE OF THE SNOW BRINGING DOWN TREES AND POWER LINES IN THE AREA. ALTHOUGH ONLY 5 INCHES OF SNOW WAS MEASURED, NEARLY 2 INCHES OF LIQUID EQUIVALENT PRECIPITATION WAS RECORDED. A LONGER STRETCH OF COLD WEATHER WAS OBSERVED IN MID DECEMBER WITH THE TEMPERATURE STAYING BELOW FREEZING FOR 7 STRAIGHT DAYS. DURING THIS STRETCH ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT STORM SYSTEM BROUGHT NEARLY 12 INCHES OF SNOW ON DECEMBER 17. WARMER WEATHER RETURNED JUST BEFORE CHRISTMAS AND BY CHRISTMAS MORNING ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT RAIN STORM HAD ARRIVED. MORE THAN AN INCH OF RAIN FELL ALONG WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE 50S. WHEN IT WAS ALL OVER ONLY A TRACE OF THE EARLY SEASON SNOWFALL WAS LEFT ON THE GROUND. THE MILD WEATHER CONTINUED THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR WAS 47.7 DEGREES WHICH WAS 2.0 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE WARMEST YEAR WAS IN 2010 WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 48.9 DEGREES.THE COOLEST WAS 45.1 DEGREES IN 1997. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FOR EACH MONTH OF 2020 INCLUDING DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL. AVERAGE TEMPERATURES BY MONTH IN 2020 MONTH MAXIMUM MINIMUM AVERAGE NOTES JANUARY 33.7 (+4.3) 18.7 (+6.1) 26.2 (+5.2) FEBRUARY 35.2 (+1.7) 18.4 (+2.5) 26.8 (+2.1) MARCH 44.9 (+3.0) 27.5 (+3.5) 36.2 (+3.3) APRIL 50.1 (-3.5) 33.5 (-1.4) 41.8 (-2.5) MAY 65.2 (+0.1) 42.9 (-1.8) 54.0 (-0.9) JUNE 75.6 (+1.6) 55.9 (+1.8) 65.8 (+1.7) JULY 79.9 (+0.8) 62.9 (+3.2) 71.4 (+2.0) AUGUST 78.6 (+0.1) 60.3 (+1.6) 69.4 (+0.8) SEPTEMBER 70.8 (+0.8) 51.4 (+0.7) 61.1 (+0.7) OCTOBER 56.4 (-1.6) 40.7 (+0.6) 48.5 (-0.6) NOVEMBER 50.2 (+4.3) 32.5 (+1.5) 41.3 (+2.8) DECEMBER 36.7 (+1.9) 23.6 (+3.8) 30.2 (+2.9) ANNUAL 56.6 (+1.9) 38.7 (+1.9) 47.7 (+2.0) A TOTAL OF 48.16 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL WHICH WAS 2.06 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION FELL AT THE END OF JUNE WHEN 4.89 INCHES OF RAIN FELL FROM JUNE 28 THROUGH 30. THE DRIEST YEAR ON RECORD WAS IN 2001 WHEN ONLY 34.77 INCHES WAS RECORDED. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL AMOUNTS FOR EACH MONTH OF 2020 INCLUDING DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL. MONTHLY PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL TOTALS FOR 2020 MONTH PRECIPITATION SNOWFALL NOTES JANUARY 3.27 (-0.26) 17.5 (-3.7) FEBRUARY 3.57 (+0.26) 13.4 (-3.1) MARCH 2.39 (-1.78) 8.2 (-11.7) APRIL 5.61 (+1.23) 6.8 (+2.0) MAY 2.54 (-1.36) 1.1 (+1.1) SNOWIEST JUNE 5.39 (+1.09) 0.0 JULY 5.20 (+0.90) 0.0 AUGUST 2.24 (-1.35) 0.0 SEPTEMBER 1.15 (-3.04) 0.0 OCTOBER 4.86 (-0.28) T (-0.1) NOVEMBER 6.73 (+1.38) 0.1 (-2.9) DECEMBER 5.21 (+1.15) 18.8 (+0.5) ANNUAL 48.16 (-2.06) 65.9 (-17.9) THERE WERE 15 DAYS THAT RECORDED AT LEAST 1.00 INCH OF PRECIPITATION, 0.9 DAYS MORE THAN NORMAL. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE DAYS WHICH RECEIVED AT LEAST 1.00 INCH OF PRECIPITATION IN 2020. DAYS WITH AT LEAST 1.00 INCH OF PRECIPITATION IN 2020 DAY PRECIPITATION JANUARY 25 1.11 FEBRUARY 27 1.53 APRIL 2 1.41 APRIL 9 1.40 APRIL 13 1.34 MAY 1 1.22 JUNE 29 3.77 JULY 8 1.43 JULY 14 1.51 OCTOBER 13 1.93 OCTOBER 17 1.41 NOVEMBER 23 2.35 NOVEMBER 30 2.30 DECEMBER 5 1.86 DECEMBER 25 1.37 SNOWFALL STATISTICS ARE NORMALLY LISTED BY SEASON RATHER THAN BY CALENDAR YEAR. HOWEVER, 2020 SAW 65.9 INCHES OF SNOWFALL WHICH WAS 17.9 INCHES BELOW NORMAL AND THE LEAST ANNUAL SNOWFALL SINCE 2012. THE HEAVIEST SNOWSTORM WAS ON DECEMBER 17 WHEN 11.7 INCHES WAS MEASURED. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE DAYS WHICH RECEIVED AT LEAST 6 INCHES OF SNOWFALL IN 2020. DAYS WITH AT LEAST 6 INCHES OF SNOWFALL IN 2020 DAYS SNOWFALL JANUARY 16 9.7 MARCH 23 7.0 APRIL 9 6.8 DECEMBER 17 11.7 SNOW DEPTH WAS CONTINUOUS THROUGH JANUARY AND PEAKED AT 15 INCHES IN MID JANUARY. RAIN AND WARM TEMPERATURES ERODED THIS UNTIL ANOTHER SNOWY PERIOD IN MID FEBRUARY BROUGHT THE DEPTH BACK UP TO 15 INCHES AGAIN. WARM TEMPERATURES IN MARCH MELTED THE LAST OF THE WINTER SNOW DEPTH BY THE MORNING OF MARCH 21, ALTHOUGH THERE WERE A FEW LATE SEASON SNOWFALLS AFTER THIS POINT. SNOW RETURNED WITH THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT STORM ON DECEMBER 5. SNOW DEPTH PEAKED AT 11 INCHES AFTER ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT STORM A FEW WEEKS LATER. HOWEVER, WARM TEMPERATURES AND HEAVY RAIN ON CHRISTMAS MELTED THIS DOWN TO JUST A TRACE LEFT ON THE GROUND AFTER CHRISTMAS. $$ KIMBLE